Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre (left), Vice President Sara Duterte (Rep. Acidre's office, MANILA BULLETIN)

Deputy Majority Leader Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre can't help but feel "disturbed" by former Department of Education (DepEd) undersecretary Gloria Jumamil-Mercado's claim that she was given envelopes containing P50,000 monthly by her ex-boss at the agency, Vice President Sara Duterte.

“Nakatanggap siya ng sobreng may laman na pera regularly. I’m actually disturbed, kasi kung sinabi ni undersecretary Gloria Mercado na meron pang isang nakatanggap at malamang meron pang ibang nakatanggap," Acidre said.

(She's receiving envelopes full of cash regularly. I’m actually disturbed, because if undersecretary Gloria Mercado said that there was one more like her, then maybe there were more people who received money.)

"I could only just imagine if this was done in regular intervals, say monthly, I could just imagine the total amount needed to sustain it over a year,” the ranking congressman said.

Mercado, 65, used to work as the Head of Procuring Entity (HoPE) during Vice President Duterte's time as DepEd secretary. She received an envelope monthly from February to September in 2023.

Mercado turned over nine empty envelopes Wednesday afternoon, Sept. 25 during an inquiry of the House Committee on Good Government and Public Accountability. She said she had already donated the money--P450,000 in all--to a non-government organization.

While the former undersecretary never claimed in the panel hearing to know what the envelopes were for, Acidre believes that he can put two and two together.

“This is quite disturbing for this particular practice, even a small whiff of this happening in one of the departments that we hold in high regard,” he said.

The Tingog lawmaker underscored that education should be free from corruption as it directly impacts the future of the nation’s children and youth.

Mercado said she was asked to resign by higher-ups in October 2023, after she had insisted that procurement rules be strictly followed in connection with the DepEd Computerization Program, which she said was heading toward a failure of bidding.

Arbitrary firings

During the hearing, Acidre quizzed Mercado on the internal dynamics during Vice President Duterte’s leadership at DepEd, particularly on how other officials were selected. Mercado admitted that while the department initially sought out the "best and the brightest," a growing culture of fear and compliance emerged under the Vice President’s administration.

When Acidre asked if the resignations within the department could be considered dismissals, Mercado answered: “Yes, because they (the resignees) didn’t want to but they had to.”

He further questioned the arbitrary firing of officials who disagreed with the then-secretary by focusing on the impacts it might have had to the staff of the “resigned” officials. It was also revealed that the then-education chief did not conduct exit calls for them.

”Right there and then, they (resigned officials) will lose their income. Their staff will lose all their benefits and salaries, and they will be left in the cold, left in the dark?" Acidre said.

CHECK THIS OUT:

https://mb.com.ph/2024/9/26/9-envelopes-from-vp-sara

He slammed this lack of fairness and transparency in government operations during Vice President Duterte's stint, which have led to the loss of talented public servants who were dismissed without proper justification.

“This isn’t just about the allegations against one official—it’s about ensuring that DepEd, and all government departments, operate with integrity, transparency, and accountability,” he said separately. “The arbitrary firing of qualified individuals could erode trust within the department, which could lead to a brain drain of experienced professionals. How do we expect DepEd to function effectively if people fear for their jobs every time they voice legitimate concerns?"